Aizawa Doesn't Give Hugs
by The Mocking J
Summary: Aizawa could tolerate the hero worship, as long as none of them tried to hug him.
1. Chapter 1

**[[Spoilers:** Spoilers in general for the anime. **]]**

* * *

 **Aizawa Doesn't Give Hugs**

Since their school days at U.A., Aizawa had come to expect hugs from Hizashi. Personal space did not exist in Hizashi's universe. He broke through every boundary Aizawa built up– crossed every line.

Young Aizawa had sworn never to attend a slumber party, where the last thing you did was sleep. With Hazshi, he found himself _hosting_ a slumber party. Hizashi had invited himself over, neglecting their study session, until it was too dark for him to leave.

 _"What if a villain grabs me on my way home?"_

Aizawa's mother agreed. (Really, she just couldn't be bothered driving him back.) Hizashi could stay the night. Aizawa was relegated to his sleeping bag while Hizashi stole the bed. This alone wasn't an issue for Aizawa. It was the fact that Hizashi snored.

Hell, did he _snore_. Grunts, snorts and mumbles– every little sound was magnified by his voice. Aizawa could only stay up for so many hours erasing his Quirk. By three o'clock, Aizawa slithered onto the bed, still wearing his sleeping bag, shook him and snarled, _"Shut up."_

For a single blissful moment, there was silence. Then Hizashi rolled over, flung his arm around Aizawa and dragged him down beside him. Aizawa started to struggle but stopped when the snoring didn't resume. Hizashi's breathing was deep, but quieter. Bearable.

Moving back onto the floor would take too much effort. And he would risk rousing Hizashi...

Aizawa shut his eyes with Hizashi's arms still around him. He'd slept in worse places.

After years of having Hizashi sleep beside him, scream in his ear, drag him onto the dance floor, and being subjected to horrendous 'noogies', Aizawa had come to tolerate the odd hug.

Hizashi's intimate gestures only increased when he returned from England. Hugs were given more freely over there. Not to mention, Hizashi had missed him. When Aizawa had gone to meet him at the airport, at the ungodly hour of five in the morning, he'd been hit by a screech _("SHOUTA!")_ and an embrace that almost knocked him off his feet.

"Hi..." Somehow, Aizawa felt more jetlagged than Hizashi looked.

"Did you miss me?" Hisashi hollered in English.

He answered in Japanese, "It's like you never left." People were staring. He separated himself from Hizashi, picked up one of his suitcases and announced, "You're driving."

Hisashi lowered his voice just a touch as they ambled out of the terminal. "You sound like an old man..."

"You sound like a seven-year-old."

Both of them were in fact twenty-three, though neither acted like it.

* * *

Aizawa felt the side effects of his age even more when he reached thirty: Dry eyes, sleep deprival, decreased duration of his Quirk...

The stresses of Pro Hero work and teaching gradually took its toll.

Much to his surprise, the Number One Hero, All Might, had also deteriorated in the past few years. He maintained his duty as the Symbol of Peace, but his appearances in public became less and less frequent. These days, he was far more likely to turn cameras away. Aizawa was glad he was stepping out of the limelight... until he learned Toshinori Yagi's secret.

It was brought to the U.A. staff's attention when All Might began teaching with them; he had been left severely injured after a battle five years ago and as a result, he was forced into a weakened form for the majority of the time. The students weren't supposed to be aware of this and neither was the media.

That didn't prevent the camera crews from swarming U.A. as soon as news of their celebrity teacher got out. They were drawn to the mere presence of All Might like hornets to a hive. Aizawa told them all to buzz off. His class didn't need that kind of pressure on top of their training and their studies.

Honestly? Aizawa preferred All Might's 'weaker' form. He was less big-headed and he lost that booming voice. It was nothing compared to Hizashi's vocal cords, but still...

Like Hisashi, All Might was heavily inspired by western culture. His signature attack– "Detroit Smash" –made him resemble professional wrestlers from the United States of old. He was just as flashy as these former 'Pros'... and flippant when it came to teaching.

Under his watch, Midoriya has been beaten unconscious during the Battle Trial and Bakugo's confidence was shaken.

Aizawa wasn't particularly worried about the latter's injured pride. The problem was that All Might had let Bakugo off with a pat on the back. He had left the criticism to Yaoyorozu before swiftly moving on. (Yaoyorozu had given Aizawa a full report.)

At the end of Class 1-A's second day, Aizawa had found Toshinori in the staff lounge.

"Fear not! I spoke to Bakugo at the school gates."

"At the school gates..." Aizawa echoed. "Were any other students around?"

"Only young Midoriya–"

"Brilliant." He needed a cup of tea...

"I'm certain Midoriya won't hold it against Bakugo," he floundered as Aizawa filled the kettle with water. "The two of them may have their differences, but I've seen Midoriya risk his life for Bakugo."

"They're still _rivals_ ," he pointed out. "As far as Bakugo is concerned, you just patronized him in front of his nemesis."

"Patronize—?" A cough tore through Toshinori's body. "I... I tried to assure him that pride is a worthy attribute in any hero, as long as he isn't c... _consumed_ by it."

"The pot calling the kettle black," Aizawa breathed as the kettle boiled.

"What was that?"

Aizawa made his tea before he turned to Toshinori. "The point is you should have lectured Bakugou in class with the others."

Somehow, Toshinori became even more hunched over. "Understood. I apologize for my carelessness..."

"Don't. Just remember next time."

"I will..." Aizawa was about to walk out, when a spindly hand brushed his elbow. A spider might as well have landed on Aizawa for how he froze. "Thank you, Aizawa."

He nodded. Toshinori's grip, so weak, dropped and Aizawa left with his tea.

This didn't mean they saw eye to eye– not by a long shot –but over the next week, All Might kept flashing him smiles and thumbs-up. Aizawa avoided his gaze as best he could. He would be seeing enough of All Might during the USJ trip...

Typically, All Might turned up late— right when Aizawa truly needed him. The so-called League of Villains showed up expecting All Might, of _course_ , but they were stuck with an underground nobody erasing their Quirks.

In the blink of an eye, his elbow was shattered by the supposed final boss. Not thirty seconds later his body was smashed by a behemoth of a villain. Both of his arms were snapped. He tasted blood as his face was pummeled into the floor.

This monster was just as strong as All Might— maybe even stronger.

Where the hell _was_ he?

Distantly, he heard the villains discussing their retreat.

"Oh, before we leave... Let's make sure the Symbol of Peace is broken. Let's wreck his pride."

Arms broken, eyes burning, he heaved his head up. A decaying hand hovered before Asui's head.

They were _his_ students first.

He received some words of admiration from the villain. Then his vision was reduced to blood and rubble.

A splash, a shout and silence.

He stirred briefly when he felt arms beneath him, but couldn't open his eyes.

The next time he regained consciousness, someone was kissing his head.

 _Recovery Girl?_ He tried to speak, but his voice was muffled by bandages and a pained moan.

She could see the question in his eyes. "Everyone's safe— I promise."

His eyes narrowed and he glanced around a recovery room. _Where were they?_

"Do you need proof...?" Hopping off her chair, she picked something up from the table beside his bed. It was a Get Well card, signed by every one of his students and the staff at U.A.

He saw Midorya's scrawl, Yaoyorozu's calligraphy, Todoroki's print, Kaminari's scribbles, Kirishima's jagged font **,** a summary of the class's health from Iida, French salutations, a paw print, glitter, a frog doodle, smiley faces, hearts, stars, singes at the edge of the card...

Only one signature was missing.

He cocked his to the side, ignoring the ache in his neck.

Recovery Girl flipped the card over to reveal an All Might-sized autograph, with added Xs and Os.

There it was.

Aizawa sighed and finally rested against the pillows. The kids would be devastated if anything had happened to _him..._

"Don't worry about All Might." Recovery Girl returned the card to its table. "He's making his rounds to the students and Thirteen, but I'm sure he'll visit you afterwards."

He would have to get in line– Hisashi burst in half an hour later with balloons, candy and a radio for Aizawa's entertainment. Recovery Girl let him stay on the condition that he kept the volume at a minimum. ("If I find Aizawa's ears bleeding, you're _out_. Do you hear me, Hizashi?")

"You look like an Egyptian mummy," Hizashi remarked through a mouthful of candy Aizawa couldn't eat. "But you're really more like a _dad_ with all those kids looking up to you."

Hero worship... Hopefully, it would wear off soon.

He tuned out Hizashi's chatter in favor of the radio.

 _"—gators are still searching for the League of Villains' hideout. These criminals cornered a class of first year students at the U.A. rescue training center. Their evil mission, as far as we know it, is to destroy Number One Hero, All Might—"_

"Hello...?"

 _Speak of the devil_ , Aizawa mused.

Toshinori poked his head around the door.

"ALL MIGHT!"

He shuffled inside, shushing Hizashi.

"SORRY! Sorry... I better leave before Recovery Girl sticks a needle in me. See you, Shouta!" He gave Aziawa a quick gentle hug and hightailed it out of the room.

Toshinori watched him go before he addressed Aziawa. "Do you mind...?"

Aizawa nodded in the direction of Recovery Girl's chair.

"Thanks." Toshinori seemed to curl in on himself as he sat, hands resting on his knees.

For several minutes, only the radio and Recovery Girl's humming could be heard in the background. Aizawa glared at Toshinori. He wasn't staying awake for nothing.

He grumbled, "Toshi—"

"Can you forgive me?" His head was still bowed, but at least he was finally talking. "On the day of the attack, I wasted my Quirk time to save a family. I should have left it to another Pro Hero and arrived earlier at the USJ. My pride put your lives in jeopardy."

What if All Might had been caught off-guard with the rest of them? Would he have succeeded if Aizawa hadn't weakened the villains beforehand?

Aizawa tried not to wince as he shrugged. "Kids got out. S'all that matters."

"Yes, you're right... as usual."

Aziawa smirked slightly behind his bandages (not that Toshinori would notice).

Somewhat reassured, Toshinori stood up to leave. "I'll let you rest—"

"Xs and Os... explain?" Eye brows raised, Aizawa looked at the card.

Toshinori followed gaze. He coughed into his hand, failing to hide a chuckle. "Hugs and kisses from All Might. That's how all my autographs are signed."

"Sure they are."

Aizawa supposed he could let that slide… as long as All Might didn't physically attempt to hug him.


	2. Chapter 2

Aizawa was met with cries of shock, relief and doubt as he hobbled into homeroom, having escaped from hospital that morning. There was no mention of his scuffle with the villains. No exclamations of adoration. Kaminari called him a Pro— that was fact. He was just a Pro-Hero and a teacher doing his job by protecting his students. Thirteen and All Might had done the same. Anyone at U.A. would do the same.

Class 1-A didn't admire him any more than they had before, despite what Hizashi might think. Proof: The fuss over his well-being was forgotten as soon as they heard about the sports festival... Well, almost. There were some misgivings about the villains making another attack, but Aizawa quickly cleared that up, reminded them not to slack off and the class erupted into excited chatter. He dismissed them and they trickled out to lunch.

With his mouth and hands swathed in bandages, Aizawa was reduced to sucking food through a straw. He would quite happily spend lunch alone at his desk where All Might couldn't spoon-feed him in front of the entire faculty.

Taking a seat, he waited for the stragglers to leave. Asui and Ashido were whispering in the doorway. The two of them glanced at him. Aizawa sunk into his seat.

Why would they be gossiping about him? Maybe it was just his appearance. He didn't care if he looked like he'd crawled out of a tomb, but teenagers were obsessed with image, right?

Ashido took pride in being completely pink. She could relate to heroes like Mt. Lady (both of them had horns) and Pixie-bob from the Wild, Wild Pussycats. Heroes who mirrored her passionate nature.

Asui was calmer, less likely to be the hyper fangirl type. Understated heroes would garner her respect.

...Dammit.

"See you in the cafeteria," he heard Ashido tell Asui. Asui stepped into the room and approached his desk.

He shouldn't make assumptions based off Hizashi's teasing—

"Mr Aizawa?" (His eyes flicked to her.) "Mineta's a pervert."

It turned out Mineta was the obsessed one. Asui, utterly straight-faced, produced a list of his offences against the female members of their class.

Lunch would have to wait. "I'll speak with him. You have my permission to hit him if he starts acting up again."

Asui scratched her chin. "Thank you, Mr. Aizawa."

"Don't mention it." She was about to leave the room when Aizawa added, "If you have any other worries, Recovery Girl can help."

"Ribbit." He took that as an 'affirmative'.

Now he had a pest to hunt down. He located Mineta in the cafeteria (purple, grape-like hair was hard to miss) and quietly led him back to homeroom, ignoring Mineta's babbling until the door was shut.

Mineta latched on to his leg, wailing, _"Don't expel meeee!"_

"Haven't you heard of personal boundaries?" Aizawa drawled. He tried to free his leg but Mineta hung on with more force than a leech. "Let go and I won't expel you."

"P-promise?"

"Yes."

Mineta released him. That was a start.

Aizawa frowned down at him. "Do you know why I called you here?" He was one of the smartest in the class. Of course he knew.

"Because I called you a zombie behind your back?"

"Nice try. Guess again."

"The... girls?" His face turned a shade of grapefruit.

"Control yourself," Aizawa huffed. "Those girls aren't objects– they're your classmates and allies, deserving your respect." His sharp tone made Mineta shake. "The next time you step in here, you better have a lid on those hormones. Understand?"

"Y-yes, Sir."

Aizawa shooed him away with his hand.

Mineta gasped, "Y-you're not gonna punish me? At all?"

"Depends if you keep wasting my time."

Mineta darted out of the room. He'd been let off with a warning this time. (Aizawa owed him that— Mineta had helped carry him out of the USJ, after all.) He doubted Mineta would become a model classmate overnight, but he had the potential to learn.

If there were any more complaints from the girls, he would let Midnight deal with Mineta.

* * *

Aziawa had been planning to sleep through the festival's award ceremony once he was relieved of his co-commentator duties. Midnight would address the audience from here on out.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, earning a small chuckle from Hizashi.

"I feel you. That last match was _hot_."

Aizawa ignored his excitement along with the fireworks and the corny fanfare music. He could feel a headache forming at the very thought of Bakugo.

"Here come the winners! Don't you want to cheer for your kids, Shouta— oh. Yikes, that's rough even for Bakugo..."

What now?

Sitting up, he expected to see Bakugo throwing fire at Todoroki and Midnight trying to subdue him. The reality popped a vein in Aizawa's head.

Bakugo was ballistic, but who could blame him? He was strapped to a cement block on the first place pedestal, complete with shackles and a muzzle. He resembled a caged beast or a captured criminal.

The crowd was cheering. Cameras flashed at the pedestal. They were making a spectacle of him.

He deserved to be punished for his ruthless behavior– Aizawa already had detention in mind– but not for the world to watch.

Aizawa glared out their window.

"Want me to say something?" Hizashi offered as softly as he could manage.

"No." That would cause even more of a scene and Bakugo wouldn't appreciate their pity at all. It was best just to let the awards ceremony play out.

All Might dropped in to give the winners their medals and a hug (typical)… except for Bakugo. Clearly, All Might didn't approve of Bakugo's restraints. He removed the muzzle, at the very least. His grin was too forced as he presented Bakugo with his gold medal and swiftly turned away, spouting an uplifting speech. He didn't even finish with 'plus ultra', much to the crowd's complaints.

At long last, it was over. Tokoyami and Todoroki left their podiums, looking pensive and lost. Bakugo, still tied to his block, bellowed as the podium sank below the stadium grounds.

Aizawa heard Bakugo's curses on his way down to the podium lift.

"GET ME OUT OF THIS, BLOCK HEAD!"

By the time he got there, Cementoss had freed Bakugo from the block. All that remained were the excessive shackles and chains connecting him to the podium. Had Midnight suggested those...?

Aziawa cleared his throat. Cementoss looked at him, his expression as unreadable as Aizawa's.

"Who's idea was this?" Aizawa seethed as Cementoss stomped towards him.

"A mixture, but Principle Nezu gave the final word."

Of course, Aizawa thought. Nezu, subject of inhumane tests in the past, would see no trouble in tethering a teenage boy up like a rabid dog.

Cementoss jabbed a thumb in Bakugo's direction. "He blew up a medical bot the second he awoke from his last battle. We were worried he would go for Todoroki during the ceremony."

In that case, why wasn't he excluded from the ceremony altogether? Bakugo didn't even care about the awards. He would probably melt that medal later.

"I'll help you free him." Aizawa approached Bakugo and told him plainly, "I'm going to erase your Quirk—"

"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, OLD MAN!"

"—If you insist on impeding Cementoss, we'll leave you here for the night."

Bakogo bristled, but stopped thrashing.

Since Aizawa was still healing, Recovery Girl had ordered him to avoid using his Quirk unless there was an emergency. Now he understood why as his eyes flashed at Bakugo. For a second, his gaze was filled with blood and grit. Pain split across his skull.

Cementoss didn't break the shackles with his cement. (Nothing showy— one reason why Aizawa liked him.) He simply pulled out a key and unlocked them.

The instant the shackles were off, Aizawa blinked and returned Bakugo's Quirk. Sweat coated his forehead, concealed thanks to his bandages. Still, Bakugo stared at him as he rubbed his wrists. It was a good thing his temper had cooled for both their sakes. Aizawa wasn't sure if he could handle another round of Erasure.

"Let's go," he muttered and headed for the stairs. Bakugo, for once, obeyed without question, following him up and past the waiting rooms.

When they reached the door to the battle field, Aizawa halted him.

"Move—"

"I'm sure your classmates will forgive you, but there might still be some asshats lingering in the stands." The hecklers from his battle with Uraraka.

Balling his fists, Bakugo strode towards the door. "They don't scare me— hey! I don't want this damn thing!"

Aizawa had removed his scarf and dropped it over Bakugo's head. His chest felt a lot lighter without it.

"It'll keep your face somewhat hidden from the crowd and the cameras." He rolled his eyes as Bakugo wrestled with the scarf. "If you take it off or damage it, I'll activate the capture weapon." Actually, he could only do that while he was wearing it. Bakugo didn't need to know that though. He'd experienced the weapon's power during their Quirk Apprehension Test. Surely, he wouldn't want to relive that embarrassment.

Bakugo's fidgeting ceased. He snorted behind the scarf. "It stinks."

"Give it back to me when you return to class." Aizawa opened the door. Bakugo rushed out to join Kirishima and the others on the field. He received some odd looks and laughs from his peers, but the spectators in the stands barely noticed him. Maybe they would mistake him for a student from the Support Class with a stylish scarf. No one would recognize it as a weapon belonging to Pro-Hero Eraserhead.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure you can handle dorm duty?"

"Yep."

No, according to Recovery Girl. His bandages had been removed but he still needed plenty of bed rest. Barring unconsciousness, he'd barely slept a wink since the USJ attack and the chaos with Hero Killer: Stain.

If he was going to worry, he might as well put that worry to good use by watching over the dorms. Any intruders would face the wrath of an insomniac ninja.

Hizashi had doubts. "How's your Erasure...?"

The headaches and the eye pain hadn't improved. "I erased my entire class's Quirks the other day." …For approximately three seconds. That was all the time he needed to take out a villain.

"I could help you babysit the kids," Hizashi volunteered. He tapped the speaker on his neck. "One blast out of this will send them straight to bed!"

Aizawa envisioned the war that would ensue: Bakugo setting the building on fire, Kaminari short-circuiting the electrics, Mineta sneaking into Ashido and Yaoyorozus' rooms (The grape rat had kept his promise in the classroom, but the girls' private quarters were another matter.), Sero taping people's doors shut, Iida failing to calm everyone down, Jiro drowning out the madness with her music, Midoriya rocking in a corner…

"Definitely not," Aizawa said. "None of them would get to sleep with you around."

"Them or just you?" Hizashi wiggled his eyebrows.

He scoffed. "I won't be sleeping on the job."

"Awww, you're such a good dad."

Just because he was staying under the same roof as his students didn't mean they felt any closer to him. If anything, they should feel more independent after their internships. Su— Tsuyu had outdone herself helping the Sea Heroes apprehend some stowaways. Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida had defeated the Hero Killer… Granted, after Iida had gone hunting for him in the first place.

There wouldn't be any midnight outings on Aizawa's watch, nor any break-ins. He checked the windows and the doors were locked, scanned the perimeter from the roof and patrolled the corridors.

After dinner, it was lights out at ten. He threatened to expel anyone he caught outside their own rooms, unless there was a real emergency.

Things that did not count as an emergency included raiding the kitchen fridge. He discovered Kirishima stealing leftovers ("I'm a growing boy!"), Sato gathering ingredients for a cake, and even Yaoyorozu grabbing a bottle of mineral water. She claimed the tap water in her room 'tasted funny'. Yeah, right. Aizawa had rolled his eyes, but tested the water afterwards just to be safe.

Late-night usage of the laundry room was strictly prohibited since Iida had almost given him a broken nose.

Jetting around like a supersonic maid, Iida had been trying to organise the class's washing. Aizawa had heard the noise and come to investigate. He didn't see Iida rushing through the dark doorway, so there was no time to erase his Quirk.

It was like smashing headfirst into into a bullet train. He was thrown back into USJ with blood, dirt and busted bones—

"Forgive me, Mr Aizawa!"

Hands on his shoulders, anchoring him in the present. He smelled washing powder... But why was it mixed with the tang of blood?

"Your nose," Iida exclaimed. "It's bleeding!" (Good, he wasn't imagining it.)

Aziawa took a step back. "Keep it down, will you?" He rubbed his nose with his hand and inspected the red smear. Recovery Girl was going to kill him... Well, kill him, resuscitate him and strap him into a hospital bed for a month.

He squinted at Iida, who was rummaging through a laundry basket. Iida handed him a white sock. "Here— it's clean."

Aizawa wiped away the blood. Then he pinched his nose and leaned forward.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Iida offered.

He said nasally, "Tell Yaoyorozu to make me a new nose—" Iida bent into a runner's stance. "—It's a joke."

"Oh..." Iida straightened up, smiling slightly. "Not a logical ruse?"

"Not at this time of night."

Iida turned to the stacks of neatly folded clothes. He sighed. "I know it's past curfew, but I couldn't sleep. Rather than just lying there, I thought—"

"You'd make yourself useful." Better for Iida to channel his energy into doing laundry than chasing villains. "That's enough for tonight." Aizawa tossed the sock into a washing machine. "Leave some laundry for the others."

Iida nodded. "I'd hate to disrupt the chores rota."

"I'll check the rota tomorrow."

The pair were quiet for a moment with the machines whirring between them. Aizawa jabbed a thumb at the doorway. "Off you go."

"But I... broke the rules."

And my nose, probably. Aizawa sniffed. "Fine. You're banned from doing chores for a week."

"What?" Iida sounded scandalized.

"Do you want me to make it a month?"

"No, thank you, Sir." He tore out of the room.

Just like his brother, that one.

Aizawa sat cross-legged above one of the washing machines, still holding his nose. At least he couldn't smell any unwashed clothes.

The following night, he wished Iida and/or Midoriya were up late. Either of them could have dealt with Uraraka, who had fallen asleep doing homework in the kitchen.

Aizawa would have roused her... had she not been floating above the table.

He'd seen this before. Children often used their Quirks in their sleep. It was less common in teenagers, but not unheard of. A couple of years back, one boy had dozed off in Aziawa's class and caused an earthquake. He'd been expelled, obviously— his power had almost brought down the school.

But Ururaka had never endangered lives with her Quirk. Aizawa couldn't really fault her for completing her homework. Judging by her pink notepad, she'd been writing for hours.

He frowned up at her. Her head was resting on her arms, hair hanging over her face. She was about three metres off the ground.

If he called her, he risked startling her awake. She could fall, shriek and he'd have to catch her. The chaos would disturb the rest of the kids, which he would rather avoid.

Instead, he wrapped his capturing weapon around her waist, like he was holding an Uraraka-shaped balloon, and tugged her down.

When she was in his arms, he erased her Quirk. Even without her Quirk, she wasn't heavy at all. She mumbled something (a three letter name Aizawa refused to acknowledge) and shifted her head towards his chest. He glanced helplessly at the door, expecting another student to burst in at that very moment.

Part of him still hoped Midoriya or Iida would show up so he could pass her over to them. But nobody came.

If he was quick, he could return her to bed without witnesses.

Uraraka's room was next to Ashido's…right?

She had left her door ajar— that made things easier. He widened the door with his foot and carried her inside. Thankfully, she kept her room tidy enough that there weren't any trip hazards about. (Unlike some of her neighbors…) Just a low table and a fan on the floor that Aizawa bypassed.

Carefully, he deposited her into bed and covered her with the blanket. He refused to tuck her in. That would be taking it too far—

He froze as she rolled over to face him. Her eyes were closed- thank God. He tiptoed out of her room and closed the door.

Click.

His eyes darted to Ashido's door, but it was closed as it had been earlier.

He shrugged and traipsed down the corridor. He couldn't go around checking in on every kid. Technically, they weren't even kids— they were heroes in training, perfectly capable of going to bed by themselves.

Uraraka had been a one-off...

Or so he had thought.

In less than one day, there were photos of him carrying Uraraka circulating the dorms.


	4. Chapter 4

_'From: Born-of-Azarath_

 _Subject: Midoriya Izuku_

 _Dear Mr Aizawa_

 _I regret to disturb you at this urgent time with the media frenzy and the thousands of other messages you have surely received. But now that the captives are safe and the League of Villains' leader is in custody, I hope you will forgive me._

 _To begin, I will emphasise that this is not a critique of your response during the training camp incident. Your words at the press conference reaffirmed what I already knew. Out of fear for our lives, you told us to fight. (I can't fault you for that, as I myself was overcome with terror.)_

 _Thanks to you and the other heroes, all of us are alive. No amount of preparation would have completely spared us from such a large scale attack._

 _You took full responsibility for Bakugo's mistreatment, but I don't blame you for his kidnapping. You are partly to blame, however, for the futility and the guilt Izuku Midoriya feels._

 _During our Quirk Apprehension Test, you looked Midoriya in the eye and told him: "You're worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down."_

 _I understand that your intention was to draw out Midoriya's potential as a hero. Either he would fail the test and avoid trouble down the line, or he would rise to the occasion. I've watched him rise time and time again, despite your initial scorn and his ongoing injuries. That is the mark of a true hero— someone who perseveres even in the face of doubt. But Midoriya doesn't take pride from his many victories._

 _He managed to save several students at the camp, breaking his arms, but all that matters to him was that he couldn't save Bakugo. The boy who spent years calling Midoriya worthless, and will likely continue to do so. Midoriya believes his efforts, his beaten body and his Quirk are all for nothing._

 _As our teacher, I expect you to assure him this is not the case. There is no need to coddle him— Midoriya wouldn't appreciate that— but you could acknowledge how far he has come._

 _Thank you for reading and please do not respond to this email._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _A concerned U.A. student'_

Aizawa found this solicitation while scrolling through the vat of vitriolic messages on his phone. The majority were from the press (whoever had leaked his private number should consider migrating to the moon), conspiracy theorists, scaremongers, U.A.'s benefactors, frantic parents, the police and his fellow Pro Heroes.

One appeal from a 'villain recruitment force' almost made him throw his phone across the room:

 _'If you support Katsuki Bakugo so much, why not join him on the dark side? We'll iradicate those pesky reporters for you. With a quirk like your's, we can strike from the shadows and ERASE heroes from existence—'_

He gripped the phone tightly. Here he was at two thirty AM, sitting in the dark, losing it over illegible junk mail. He swiftly deleted it and blocked the sender's address.

He needed a cool head to combat the wildfire that was Katskui Bakugo. He still stood by what he had said about Bakugo's convictions, but he would have to work harder to keep him in check, particularly around Midoriya.

Detention wasn't enough— Bakugo would usually just sit there making cigarettes out of pencils. If Aizawa so much as breathed the word 'expulsion', the press would be on his back again. How could U.A. expel the student they had risked life and limb to rescue? Toshinori had sacrificed his title, his Quirk, and his identity for Bakugo.

Aizawa thought back. During his final exam, Bakugo had been teamed up with Midoriya and, after many miscommunications, they had managed to beat All Might. The friction between them hadn't exactly eased since then, as far as Aizawa could tell.

He could make them talk it out, minus their Quirks, but Bakugo would still tear Midoriya apart. Maybe All Might could hold Bakugo down— _no, wait..._

Aizawa sighed. Scratch that then. He'd shove Bakugo and Midoriya into separate rooms and their hypothetical heart-to-heart could take place over a radio. Hizashi would help set it up and tease him over his 'bickering boys' but anything was better than publicly humiliating them.

How could Nezu— their principle— authorise Bakugou's punishment at the awards ceremony? Consequently, the villains had witnessed Bakugo's violent nature, and chose to take him under their wing.

Nezu must have assessed the outcomes of such a decision. Had he hoped it would encourage his U.A. dorms idea?

Flicking through his phone, Aizawa re-read Nezu's email about the introduction of the new system. By 'officially' moving every student into the dorms, they would strengthen the bonds between a new generation of heroes, protect them behind school doors... and smoke out any potential traitors.

Hizashi had warned Aizawa there might be a traitor at U.A. who had given away the camp's location. Aizawa was most likely exempt from the guilty party due to his near-fatal wounds at USJ and his care for his class. The same went for Toshinori, especially now that he was retired.

Aizawa didn't suspect any one his students. Every member of Class 1-A who was conscious had provided him with a description of the attack— how they had defended themselves, how they had escaped, how _scared_ they felt...

 _'I myself was overcome with terror.'_

He returned to the concerned student's email about Izuku. _Born-of-Azarath_. Now, who could that be? He could eliminate those knocked out by the villains— Hagakure, Jiro and Yaoyorozu. As class president, Iida would have reproached Aizawa directly if he felt Midoriya was upset. The same went for Uraraka, another of Midoriya's closest friends. Tsuyu would have told him point-blank, "Douche move, Mr Aizawa."

The vocabulary in the email far exceeded any essay he had received from Kaminari or Ashido. Aoyama wouldn't be able resist using a word of French. Mineta _wouldn't dare..._

That left him with eight suspects, barring Bakugo and Midoriya himself.

Were there any clues in the email address? He searched the web for 'Azarath'. The top results were for a death metal band or a realm in a classic comic book series.

Alright, so the perpetrator was possibly a comic book fan, like most people these days. Not much to go on there.

Aizawa delved deeper. Azarath was once a paradise that got destroyed _... yada yada yada.._. and the birthplace of a character called Raven. As he read about the teen hero, he cracked a smile. Her powers were driven by emotion. (How original.) He'd give the girl some credit: She could manipulate shadows, conjure a dark spirit from her body and she was half-demon.

Well, that hit the nail on the head. He couldn't base his suspicions on Quirk similarities alone, though. There were other factors to take into account, like Midoriya's teammates during the Cavalry Battle and those he had saved at the training camp.

Just to be sure, Aizawa felt he should also research the death metal band.

Hizashi answered on the fifth ring. _"Shoutaaaaa..."_ he groaned. (He wasn't wearing his speaker, lucky for Aizawa.) "It's like... three in the morning—"

"I need your help. Nothing urgent."

Aizawa heard shuffling— Hizashi was groping around for his glasses. He sounded more lucid when he returned to the phone.

"Didn't we agree you were having an early night? You know, after the conference and everything?"

Aizawa suppressed a yawn. "Yeah, but then I got a concerned email from one of my students—"

"That's adorable."

"—Under the alias _Born-of-Azarath._ I looked it up and one option is a death metal band. Ever heard of it?"

"Azarath... Az-a-rath..." Hizashi hummed. "Polish band from the early 2000s?" (Aizawa would find out later if he'd ever had a death metal phase.)

"Right. And have any of the kids showed an interest in their kind of music?"

"Um... Only Jiro, I think? She mentioned going to see a Desecravity concert in class. They're a band from Tokyo—"

"Jiro was taken to hospital, so I doubt it's her," Aizawa muttered. He'd barely seen his students since he'd been holed up at the police station and the conference.

"She might have woken up and emailed you from her phone," Hizashi said, annoyingly optimistic.

Aizawa growled, "She was _poisoned_ before Midoriya..." He huffed and stewed in silence for a minute.

Hizashi let out a tentative, "Shou?"

"The email was about Midoriya," he admitted. "About how I misjudged him during his Apprehension Test."

"Oh..." He heard Hizashi drumming his fingers on the phone. "Kind of like how I judged you when we first met?"

"What?" he asked exasperatedly. This wasn't the time for awkward high school memories...

"You acted so _indifferent_ — like you didn't care about becoming a hero. You'd fall asleep in class, ignore teachers and friends, rarely smile—"

"If I wanted a lecture, I would have called Toshinori."

"—But, the more time we spent together, I saw you really _did_ care... in own crabby way." There was a smile in Hizashi's voice. "Your students can see that too."

Aizawa remembered Midoriya's relief when they ran into each other in the forest. He had a black eye, a mangled arm, Kota clinging to his bare back... but he was beaming at Aizawa.

 _I still have to scold him... and make sure he spoke to Kota._ A soft chuckle escaped Aizawa's lips.

"I heard that!"

"I know... Thanks, 'Zashi."

"No problem. Now, go to bed. And switch off your phone before you go blind!"...Said the man who stayed up three days straight playing Flappy Bat.

Aizawa muttered, "Love you too."

He hung up, cutting short Hizashi's scream of "YOU SAID IT FIRST—"

He took one last glance at Azarath's email before turning off his phone and tossing it on the floor.

Unbelievably, he slept like a log and was nearly late for their briefing from Nezu. He and Toshinori were instructed to visit the students' families to discuss the new dorm system.

"I thought we already had dorms available to students," Toshinori said during their drive. "Don't members of Class 1-A stay on campus from time to time?"

Aizawa nodded, hoping his hair wouldn't slip out of his bun. (Vlad was in stitches when he saw it.) "There were some old dorms offered to students who travel long distances or those with difficult circumstances at home." An unspoken name seared the air between them.

Aizawa went on, "Nezu wants to enforce an _all-dorm_ system in a brand new, fully fortified building."

"'Enforce'?" Toshinori chuckled. "We still need permission from their families."

That was easier said than done in some cases.

Tsuyu's younger siblings begged her not to go. Kirishima's father started 'sweating through his eyes' at the thought of losing his son. Upon entering Koda's house, the teachers were crushed by a stampede of pets.

Toshinori plucked feathers out of his hair as they headed to the Shizuoka Prefecture. "Let's hope Tokoyami's family doesn't keep birds too."

Aizawa hummed. "Do you want me to handle this one?"

"No, it's alright." Toshinori gave him a thumbs-up with his non-bandaged hand. "I like working as a team."

Tokoyami lived in a small apartment with a spacious balcony and a breath-taking view. Aizawa imagined it looked even more impressive at night, seeing the city twinkling in the dark, but he could understand why Tokoyami was so eager move out.

Inside, the apartment was packed with silver sculptures twisted into various shapes. Mrs Tokoyami's Quirk allowed her to liquefy and reform silver. Her proudest creations were the family figurines crowding the mantelpiece.

Then there was Mr Tokoyami...

"Father, _please_ ," Tokoyami hissed as they were herded out onto the balcony.

Mr Tokoyami had the blue head and long neck of a peacock. He gestured to the cityscape with a swish of his green poncho. "Isn't it marvellous?"

Toshinori agreed, "Indeed—"

"I watched your epic battle on the screen down there." Mr Tokoyami pointed at the large television on the side of a lower building. "It's like being at the cinema, but I never have to step foot off this balcony. Now the honest-to-goodness All Might is standing right here with me!"

"Settle dear now, dear." Mrs Tokoyami stepped out onto the balcony. It was easy to see where Tokoyami had gotten his glossy black hair. (Hair? Feathers?) She placed a silver platter of almond cookies and some plates on the coffee table. "We need to talk about Fumikage's Future."

The four of them sat around the table on green pillows.

"Every bird has to leave the nest sooner or later," Mrs Tokoyami sighed wistfully.

"We know you'll protect our chick," Mr Tokoyami cooed.

Tokoyami looked like he wanted to bang his head against the table. He kept his gaze down when Aizawa said knowingly, "Curfew will be at nine for everyone."

Mr Tokoyami sent his son an amused look. "That might be a problem. Fukimage is a real night bird; he's always up playing his guitar at some late hour."

"I didn't know you were a musician," Toshinori exclaimed. "What kind of music do you play?" Aizawa leaned forward slightly. Tokoyami shrugged.

"Rock and roll," his father filled in, flapping his hand.

"It's _death metal_ ," Mrs Tokoyami corrected. Young Tokoyami closed his eyes.

Toshinori laughed, "Well, either way, it would be wonderful to hear some music in the dorms!"

So, it was the death metal band, Aizawa mused as Mr Tokoyami cleared away the plates and Tokoyami went to 'brood' in his room.

Mrs Tokoyami escorted the teachers to the front door, where she intoned, "I'm sorry. Fumikage has been... stressed since he lost control at the training camp."

"It was a very intense time for everyone," Toshinori consoled. "Nobody holds him at fault. As of matter of fact, his Dark Shadow managed to defeat one of the villains."

Mrs Tokoyami smiled, but her red eyes were sad. Her eyes widened as Aizawa said, "I can help him learn to control it. We'll try different techniques, like mediation... But first, I need to deal with his classmates Midoriya and Bakugo. Can you tell him that for me?"

At last, her eyes lit up. "He'll be glad to hear it."


End file.
